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Things never seem to change. I'm rereading a June 2007 Reader's Digest.
No one I doubt will disagree with me that the magazine often reports on timely issues which affect all of us. But sadly, despite this and the efforts of other news magazines, we seem always to be reading about the same issues without addressing them and doing something about them.
A year ago (June 2007) in the RD-- Michael Crowley reported in his "That's
Outrageous" column that Congressmen convicted of crimes still get their
tax-funded retirement. Even though feeble attempts-- and I do mean feeble, have been made to correct these injustices, Crowley notes that its bad enough that we are paying for the retirement of these crooks, but it is just as bad that lawmakers aren't doing anything about it. As far back as 1996 a bill to strip pensions made some progress before dying on the vine. I would like to ask Obama and McCain what they could do about this--or do they agree its important enough to address. But most of all, I would like to ask their position on CAFOs-those terrible places where we incarcerate our farm animals for life.
Who are these former Congresspeople who used their positions as legislators to accept gifts, money, vacation packages, boats, houses --you name it-- every type of inducement was offered and gladly accepted by these "servants" of the people. He mentions these former legislators who belong in the "Hall of Shame" by describing their "dastardly" deeds. I will only mention their last names --names which mercifully should be forgotten but remain in the public conscience because Congress has done nothing to prevent future misfits from following suit. They are: Cunningham, Durenberger, Murphy (NY), Hubbard, Biaggi, Rostenkowski and Traficant. Some of them had offenses to a much lesser degree then the poster boys of greed and corruption: Cunningham and Rostenkowski. At least per Crowley these two were among the worst offenders.
If our Congress was sincere, they would have picked up on this story in June 2007 and taken away the retirement benefits of Congressional crooks. I also think readers of the RD should have taken the time to write about this to their legislators as well.
I still think about this and am incredulous. Supposedly we have a three party type of government of checks and balances -yet things like this are never checked or balanced. Something is amiss here that Congress not only continues paying the pensions of crooks, but each year spends our taxpayer money to grant themselves yearly raises while at the same time frowning on raising the minimum wage for working people. (Yes, I know everything will have to cost more if they do.)
Something is amiss that they can get the best health coverage and refused to allow medicare to get reduced drug prices for senior citizens. (Medicare
D it seems to me is benefiting nobody but the pharmaceuticals.) Something is amiss when individual congresspeople can continually sneak in expensive earmarks on bills--sometimes of dubious value to promote their own status and selfish interests.
Another subject - Plumpynut - a Lifesaver for Niger. If you watched 60 Minutes this past Sunday (6/22/08) you will have seen a horrendous picture of suffering - of malnourished babies in their mother's arms as they waited for cartons of Plympynut - a food paste of peanut butter, dried milk, and vitamins. It too was originally aired last year in Oct. 2007 and updated this past Sunday. I had missed it in 2007 and was terribly saddened by this
picture of suffering. Some of the children were beyond hope and couldn't even eat because they had not eaten for so long. But those that did were almost miraculously restored to good health - thanx to Doctors Without Borders who initiated this program.
The account is on the internet because I wanted to read about it again. What shocked me were the comments. So many of them remarked that the real problem was that these women were having 8 or more children even after seeing some of them die from malnutrition. True. Others remarked that these "saved" baby girls would start having babies at 11 years old
and the cycle of hunger would repeat itself ad infinatum. True.
But sadly, even though what they observed was true -- how can one turn one's back on these innocent starving children? Truly, I would rather that we use the billions of dollars we pour into space and address the world's needs as best we can. (Sorry NASA). Is it doable to pour money into a country such as Niger and teach them how to plant their arid land to produce grain and vegetables? Do they have enough water for this?
Is this doable? If we can send a man to the moon - isn't this also in the realm of possibility? I really don't know.
These people need to be educated to be responsible for their offspring. But I wonder if we were living in these desert-like conditions, would we fare better?
Re the comments - many of which I found offensive - Gizelle wrote one I think was compassionate: "I am horrified to read comments that existing children should not be fed now because they will have no future later. Is it possible that Niger will one day improve? If so, then we should not give up! If not, then why not exterminate all people in Niger now? (Of course, that would seem crazy.) Also does any child deserve to suffer a horrible, slow death from malnutrion? "
Giselle has a compassionate heart. I believe I read a lot of the comments which to me were cold and uncaring. On the subject of comments - today I read the comments in Cleveland.com on Ivan Demjanuik of Cleveland who was found not guilty by an Israeli court of being a Nazi collaborator. Now a group wants him to be retried in Spain. In Spain? What in the world does he have to do with Spain? Well, I didn't read it thoroughly but I read some of the comments which made me ashamed of the lack of compassion these people had not only for Mr. Demjanuik who went through the "wringer" once in Israel - but what about his family who has suffered enough already. Maybe it's a good thing that the site for comments was rejecting my username and password. I wanted to say - He who is without sin - cast the first stone! Whether Mr. Demjanuik was guilty or not - he is already an old man. Where is our compassion? Enough is enough.
